Unwelcome surprise
by eliza2011
Summary: Flash forward two years.  Aria and Ezra are still together, but she's just learned something that will change their relationship forever.
1. Chapter 1

She'd experienced a lot of firsts with Ezra. First time she'd cheated on a boyfriend (Noel of course. She'd never cheat on Ezra). First time she'd been in love. First time she'd had sex. There were two firsts that Aria was deeply grateful that she'd never had to endure: Ezra had never been sent to jail and she hadn't had to deal with an unplanned pregnancy. Well, at least the first thing was still true. The jury was still out on the unwanted pregnancy bit of the story.

Aria was late, really late like if she wasn't pregnant than she needed to go to the doctor immediately because no healthy person is this late kind of late. Aria paced the bathroom floor, quietly pleading with God—or someone—to let this just be a false alarm and to let her get her period. Only 2:00 left before she'd know.

What would Ezra say about this? They'd been secretly dating for two years at this point and their relationship was solid, but even though she had just turned 18 and he was no longer her teacher, they'd decided not to tell anyone yet. They did not want anyone to judge them and they knew everyone would. The people of Rosewood would have a field day. Everyone would know. And they'd naturally wonder when she and Ezra had started seeing each other…started sleeping together. 1:30 left

If I am pregnant, she thought, then I'll be a mother before I even finish my freshman year at college. It was the beginning of November at this point and if her math was right, her last period had been three months ago. 1:00 left

It hadn't even occurred to her to worry about being pregnant until she went grocery shopping with her three roommates. As they down the toiletries aisle, each of her roommates had one by one dumped a box of tampons into their cart. She, too, reached out for a box and then she'd stopped cold. 30 seconds.

30 seconds…Holy shit! Her breath quickened. Calm down, calm down, she thought to herself. You can do this. You have a great boyfriend. So what if it wasn't planned, he'll stick by you. You've fantasized about having kids with him before, so you'll just be moving the time frame up a bit. This will be OK. 10 seconds.

She sat down on the ledge of the tub. Her hands suddenly trembling as she reached for the first of the five tests that she taken. She flipped it over in her hand. Positive. She reached for the next one. Positive. And the next and the next, they were all positive.

She pulled out her phone and hit her speed dial for Ezra.


	2. Chapter 2

By the time Ezra pulled up in front of her dorm building, she was crying. She never cried, but she just couldn't control herself. This was too big.

Ezra had never seen her cry before, so when he saw tears spilling unabashedly down her cheeks, he knew immediately that whatever was about to happen, it would be unbelievably bad. Something shifted deep in his gut as a wave of panic flowed through him.

At the sight of him, Aria ran forward and crushed herself ungracefully into his body. She latched her arms around his stomach tightly as her sobs deepened. Her body convulsed ever so slightly because of the force of her tears. Ezra rubbed his hands slowly up and down her back, cooing at her as he tried desperately to comfort her.

After a few minutes, Ezra took note of his surroundings. People all around them were staring intently at the spectacle. Slightly embarrassed by all of the unwanted attention from strangers, Ezra directed Aria inside.

Once safely in her dorm room, Aria's sobbing became less violent and her breathing began to return to normal.

"Aria," Ezra began quietly, hoping not to destroy the relative calm that had settled over her. "What's wrong? Please tell me what happened."

"Ez…," Aria began, as another wave of sobs filled the room. "I-I-I just can't believe this is happening," she stuttered out.

"Ssh. We'll deal with it together. Don't worry. I'm here for you."

"It means a lot to hear you say that, but you might reconsider after what I'm about to tell you."

"Never," he said quietly.

"I'm pregnant, Ezra." She looked deep into his eyes trying to decipher the odd expression on his face. Was he excited? Petrified? Both? She couldn't tell. She'd gotten pretty good at reading his thoughts through his animated facial expressions, but this expression was something entirely new to her.

Ezra suddenly stood up and said, "Water. I need wa…" Before he could finish, his legs gave out beneath him as he collapsed on the floor.


	3. Chapter 3

Aria rushed forward not sure what to do to help Ezra. She rolled him on his back and began to fan his face with her hand.

"Ezra," she whispered. Aria felt emotionally torn. She was deeply concerned about Ezra, but at the same time, she was kind of pissed. He had just fainted because of her news. She was prepared for him to take the news poorly. She had imagined him storming out, yelling or cussing. But fainting? That somehow felt like an even worse reaction than all the worst-case scenarios she had imagined.

"Ezra," she whispered again and began to stroke Ezra's face. With the soft touch of her hand, Ezra began to come to. Slowly he opened his eyes and began to blink his eyelids feverishly. Quickly a confused expression formed on his face.

"What happened?" he asked.

"You fainted," Aria said. This only confused Ezra more.

"I had the strangest dream, Aria. I dreamt that you were pregnant," Ezra said. By the look on Aria's face, Ezra quickly realized that this wasn't actually a dream.

"I'm so sorry, Ezra," Aria nearly whimpered, "I never meant for this to happen, but on the bright side, I'm 18 now. If we decide to keep the baby, we can be together and raise it. We don't have to hide or worry about you going to jail."

This did not calm Ezra at all. "People will still know that we dated while you were in high school. People will gossip and be cruel. We can't a raise a baby when people think our relationship is wrong and that our baby is evidence of our indiscretions."

"Ezra," Aria was balling at this point, "They won't know. They'll think. No one will ever know but you and me. Are you sure you're not the one who thinks this baby is wrong? Because it seems like you're the one who thinks this is a mistake."

"Aria, no. I could never think that. I just… I'm sorry. I could have reacted more favorably."

"No kidding," Aria mumbled, almost to herself. "I haven't even decided if I'm going to keep it, Ezra. We still have time to make a decision. I don't want you to feel like you have to give anything up because of this…mistake." It sounded so wrong to say that. To Aria, at least, their baby would never be a mistake.

"Aria, I don't think it's a mistake. Even though it will be tough, we can do this. I know you, Aria. I know you want to keep the baby, and even though it wasn't planned, I will love our baby so much."

Deciding to take him at his word, Aria smiled and pulled Ezra in for a kiss. With their lips still firmly connected, Aria felt Ezra's hand moved slowly down from her cheek, to her neck before resting softly and protectively on her stomach.


	4. Chapter 4

I'm not exactly sure why I felt compelled to write this chapter after months of claiming this story was 100% finished, but here it is.

There's a slight difference between my story and the TV show. In my story, no one ever learned about Ezra and Aria's romance while she was in high school.

* * *

A few weeks passed and Ezra and Aria settled comfortably into the reality that they'd be parents by spring. Ezra accompanied Aria to her first and second check up and cried each time he heard their baby's heartbeat fill the room.

Although these moments were perfect, they knew that come Christmas break when Aria returned home for the holidays and her friends returned eager to reconnect, their secret would be out and their happy life in this bubble could be ruined. At this point, Aria looked as if she'd been indulging a little too much in the nacho bar in the college cafeteria, but soon it would be obvious that the expansion of her abdomen had nothing at all to do with the normal Freshman 15. Aria had to tell people over Christmas break before anyone figured it out on their own.

* * *

Aria waited impatiently at The Grill. She found herself tapping her toe against the base of the table and checking the time on her phone every few seconds. She was nervous. Her friends were due to arrive any minute, and today was the day to apprise them of the situation.

As they slowly joined her at the table, each sensed that something was off about Aria. Between the toe tapping that still continued and the uncharacteristically baggy and unflattering sweater that she wore instead of her normal cute ensembles, they knew something was up.

"I have to tell you guys something. I can't wait any longer," she looked around at the table, and slowly began, "I've been dating someone since June, right after school let out. He's a bit older and you are going to think it's a little inappropriate, but I'm very happy and I want you to approve."

She looked around the table again. Her friends had set their faces in supportive smiles, but it was clear that her lead in was freaking them out a bit. Finally Aria let out a deep sigh and closing her eyes said, "I'm dating Mr. Fitz—Ezra."

A collective gasp could be heard around the table. Cautiously she opened her eyes. Her three friends each wore very distinctive facial expressions. Emily looked confused; Spencer looked turned on; Hanna looked jealous.

Spencer was the first to regain her composure enough to speak. She began, "So why are you telling us now?"

"I'm pregnant."

"What?" They all collectively shouted.

Aria quickly explained the situation, showed them the sonogram pictures and tried to keep everyone calm. This was easier said that done. Hanna wanted to know every single detail about "The Sex" as she called it. Emily wanted to make sure Mr. Fitz hadn't misused his power, and Spencer just kept muttering something about safe sex and condoms.

After a few minutes of this schizophrenic conversation, Aria couldn't take it anymore. "Don't you guys have anything to say about the baby? She does exist. She will be coming shortly. I need my friends to support me. I don't need you guys to talk about "The Sex", condoms, or my boyfriend forcing himself on me. I need you to focus on what's important. Can you do that?"

Hanna happily responded, "It's a girl?" Aria nodded sheepishly. She wasn't supposed to know. She and Ezra were planning on having a delivery surprise, but Aria just was never very fond of surprises. Hanna continued, "She's going to be the best dressed little girl Rosewood has ever seen. I'll make sure of that."

Aria couldn't help but laugh. Of course her unborn daughter already had her own fashion adviser.

Emily stated, "Aria, I'm very excited for you. It's just a lot to absorb."

Spencer continued, "Yeah, Aria. We didn't even know you were seeing anyone, and now, you are going to be a mom. God, Aria. We're 18. The most important thing I do in a day is go to class, and here you are, literally growing a human being."

"It's totally crazy, but I'm really excited or at least I will be once I get all these awkward conversations out of the way."

Now Hanna piped in, "Who do you still have to tell?"

Aria grew more uncomfortable as she thought about all the horrible conversations to come, "Well, my parents and my brother. How do I start those conversations? 'Hey Mom! Guess what I did!' I don't think so. I have no idea how I'm going to do it. I can't just walk into my house and tell them I'm knocked up."

Spencer, always the voice of reason, broke off Aria's rant, "Aria. It won't be that bad. You're parents are cool. They won't judge you. You just have to tell them."

Aria stated simply, "I just have to rip off the Band-Aid."

"Absolutely! Right now, however, we need to get you some new clothes, Aria. I'm not having my honorary niece stuck in a frumpy looking oven for the next few months. We've got to make you maternity chic." With that, Hanna threw a wad of cash on the table and dragged Aria through the door of The Grill.


	5. Chapter 5

After five hours of shopping with Hanna at every maternity store in a 15-mile radius of Rosewood, Aria walked into her house for the first time since leaving for college the previous August. She felt weird to be home, like it wasn't her home anymore, and afraid of the yelling and disappointment that inevitably waited for her.

"Aria!" Ella practically squealed, "I'm so happy you are home sweetie. I've made all your favorites tonight for dinner. Your father will be home any minute with your brother and then we'll all sit down to dinner."

Aria was more than a little confused. "Mom, what are you doing here? Have you moved back home?"

"Of course, honey," Ella stated nonchalantly, "I've been home for a few months now. Your father and I decided not to tell you until you got home. We wanted it to be a surprise. The whole family back together for the holidays."

"That's great, Mom. I'm excited for you."

Ella then looked down at all the shopping bags at Aria's feet. She smiled knowingly. "I see you've already run into Hanna. What did she convince you to buy this time?" Ella began reaching out for the bags, and Aria quickly picked up the bags and shifted them away from her mother.

"I'll show you everything later, but I need to talk to you about something first. I'll just go dump these bags and my suitcase in my room, and then, maybe we can sit down together for a few minutes."

"Sure," Ella said uncertainly, "is everything OK?"

"Um. Yeah. Everything is fine. I just need to tell you something before Dad gets home."

Aria raced up the stairs with her shopping bags and suitcase in tow. When she entered her room, she threw everything down haphazardly and took a few deep breaths trying to calm her nerves. It didn't work. All of a sudden a bout of severe nausea took over and Aria raced to the toilet barely making it. It had been about a month since her morning sickness had ended but apparently the events of the day had brought this particularly unfortunate part of pregnancy back full force.

Aria continued to dry heave into the toilet, completely unaware of the knock on her bedroom door. Before Aria could even regroup, Ella was right behind her. "Oh my goodness, Aria. Are you alright?" Aria gave a weak nod, "Aria, I know college can be stressful and you can feel pressure to be a certain way, but there's no reason to make yourself sick. You are beautiful and you don't need to lose any weight."

Aria looked at her mother with a look of confusion on her face and then decided that now was as good a time as any. Shaking her head, she began, "Mom, that's not what's going on here. I'm not bulimic. I'm pregnant."

Aria cast her eyes down, afraid to look at Ella's expression as Ella digested the news. Ella began in a motherly, slightly condescending tone, "Aria, how did you let this happen?"

"I don't know, Mom. It came as a major shock to me too, but now that I've had time to think about it, I'm very excited."

"How much time exactly have you had?"

"Well", Aria answered, her head still down and her voice uncertain, "I'm a little over four months."

Ella shrieked, "What? You mean you got pregnant before you left for college. This wasn't some drunken mistake at a frat party. You were still living under my roof at the time. Who's the father? I need to know his name, NOW!"

Aria couldn't avoid looking at her mother any longer, so she turned her face up to see a fire in her mother's eyes that she'd only ever seen directed at her father. Aria began cautiously, "Mom, calm down. You are right. I got pregnant before I left, but I didn't realize until November and then I couldn't just call you up and tell you. I decided it would be best to wait until I got home." Aria took a breath.

Ella cut in, "Aria. I'm waiting. Who is the father?"

"Now, Mom, don't freak out when I tell you."

"Don't freak out? My only daughter just told me that I'm going to be a grandmother. I'm not even 40 yet. How am I not supposed to freak out? Tell me."

"Ok. Let me just give you a little background before I tell you the name. Right after school let out, I was at a bookstore and I ran into a guy. We got to talking, realized just how much we had in common and started dating. This was AFTER I graduated. Anyways, we are still together and he has been great. After the initial shock, he's been really supportive. He's taken me to all my doctor's appointments and everything". Ella was glaring now, clearly growing increasingly impatient, "Ok. I'm dating Ezra…Fitz."

Ella's mouth went slack and her eyes grew wide. She finally regained some composure and began, "You are saying that you are dating you ex-English teacher and that you are pregnant with his baby." Aria simply nodded in affirmation.

"Go to your room!" Ella cried.

"Mom, I'm already in my room." Aria continued, "You can't punish me for this. I'm an adult. Ezra's an adult. These things happen."

"No. They don't happen to _you_, Aria", Ella continued loudly, "I taught you all about birth control. Did you not listen to a word I said on the subject? I guess not, and I thought you were smart enough to figure out on your own that you shouldn't date a teacher. I guess I gave you too much credit. I want you to clean up the mess you've made in this bathroom and then I want you to sit in your room and wait. I'll come get you after I've spoken to your father about this."

As Ella stood up and looked at the shopping bags on Aria's bedroom floor, she stated, "Now I know why you didn't want me to look in the bags. You bought maternity clothes."

Then quickly turning back to Aria, she dealt the final blow, "I didn't raise you to be like this. I didn't raise you to date your teacher or to be a pregnant teen."

When Ella left the room and slammed Aria's bedroom door shut, Aria couldn't keep it together any long. She simply crawled into a ball next to the toilet and openly began to weep.


	6. Chapter 6

After a few minutes, Aria pulled herself together enough to clean up a bit and exit the bathroom. Then, she simply lay on her bed and listened. First, she heard her father and brother come home, then her brother was sent to his room and then the "discussion" began. It was more a freak out on Ella's part combined with anger and then confusion on Byron's. Needless to say, what Aria could hear of said "discussion" wasn't pretty.

After twenty minutes, Aria couldn't take it any more, so she texted Ezra.

A: I told my parents. They are not taking it well.

E: It's going to be OK. They'll come around. Maybe I should have come back to Rosewood with you.

A: No, it's better this way. My mom probably would have beaten you up. You are not her favorite person right now.

E: Well, if there's anything I can do, let me know. I can be there by tomorrow morning if you want. I'll wear protective padding if necessary. I love you.

A: I love you too.

Moments later, her parents barged into Aria's room looking surprisingly calm given what Aria had heard them yelling just minutes before.

Byron was the first to begin, "Aria, you're mother and I are more than a little surprised by your news. I'm especially shocked by the fact that Ezra is the father of your child. I never expected something like this from him."

Bryon cleared his throat and took a deep breath, as if trying to maintain his outward calm façade, before continuing on, "That's not important right now. Your mother and I have a few difficult questions for you. They may be a little uncomfortable, but I think they'll give us a better sense of what the circumstances are."

Aria simply nodded.

"Ok. How far along are you?"

"Nearly four and a half months."

"Your mother says your…pregnancy," Byron uttered the word pregnancy as if it was a bad word, "came as a surprise. You were being safe?"

"Yes. Always."

Bryon grabbed Ella's hand and stroked it reassuringly, "See, Ella. She did listen."

Ella simply glared back at Byron and pulled her hand away.

Turning back to Aria, Byron continued, "Um, right. Have you been taking care of yourself—taking your vitamins, going to the doctor and all that stuff?"

"I've been following my doctor's orders to the letter. She says everything is on track, and the baby is developing normally."

"Excellent, excellent. What are you going to do after the baby is born?"

"Well, the campus provides family housing, so we'll move into one of those complexes when I return to school after break. I've visited the daycare on campus, and they've put me down on the waitlist. The woman there practically guaranteed that there'd be room by the time the baby arrives."

Byron gave a small, slightly pained smile at this, "That's wonderful, Aria. Ok, now to the other issue…Mr. Fitz. We'd like him to pop by the house this evening so we can talk to him about all of this."

"That won't be possible," Aria stated and bit her lip uncomfortably. "He doesn't live in the area any more."

Ella piped in now, as if she caught wind of a scent, "Where does he live, Aria?"

Aria mumbled, "Chicago."

Ella continued, her voice raising slightly, "Chicago, hmm. And when did he move to Chicago?"

Again, Aria mumbled her response, "August. For the beginning of the school year."

"I see. And when did he get this new job? If I recall correctly, the principal told the faculty that Mr. Fitz had decided to leave Rosewood Day sometime back in the spring."

"He accepted the job in April."

"April. As in the same month that you were accepted to the University of Chicago?"

Aria bowed her head, "Yes."

"So you are telling me that you and Mr. Fitz both decided to go to Chicago during the same month even though you didn't get together until after you graduated?"

At this point, Byron interjected, "Ella, let's not go there. If it's not a coincidence, I don't want to know about it. Our daughter is about to have a baby with this man, so for everyone's sake, let's just pretend this is a coincidence. Aria just happened to end up in the same city as the guy she dated during the summer."

Ella couldn't contain herself, "Coincidence my ass. Byron, it isn't right."

Byron again fervently stated, "No, Ella. It's a coincidence. Nothing more. Right, Aria?"

"Right!" Aria nodded vehemently as her mother only glared at her.


	7. Chapter 7

After Aria's conversation with both of her parents, the night started to look up. Aria's parents spoke with Ezra on the phone and for the most part were able to contain their emotions. Ella only had one outburst during which time she tactlessly asked Ezra why he had decided on Chicago back in April, but luckily Bryon was there to cut Ezra's response off and give another speech about coincidences. With the student-teacher relationship questions taken off the table, Ezra passed with flying colors. He easily conveyed to Aria's parents his commitment to their daughter and his unborn child. By the end of the conversation, Ella even deemed it appropriate to refer to Ezra by his first name again rather than by his last.

* * *

When Aria woke up the next morning, she was calm and relieved that all her worries were for naught. Nothing horrific—or at least that horrific—had occurred. Her parents still loved her. Ezra hadn't suffered any bodily harm, and everyone, including her brother, had come to terms with the fact that Aria would be a mother.

Aria dressed in one of her new outfits and decided to grab a decaf coffee and a muffin downtown.

When she arrived at the cafe, she placed her order and grabbed a table. She whipped out a book and immersed herself in the tale. She was so engrossed that she didn't register someone standing in front of her and calling her name.

Aria finally snapped out of her trance and looked up to see Noel Khan, with a few of his friends, smiling down at her.

"Hey, Noel. Sorry, I didn't see you there."

"Yeah. I could tell. I was feeling a little neglected. It must be a really good book."

Aria laughed lightly at his joke and stood up to greet him properly with a hug, "It wasn't my intention. It's great to see you." She reached out to him and enveloped him in a friendly squeeze.

In the midst of their hug, Noel tensed and pulled back, "Aria, are you pregnant?"

Aria placed her hand on her belly and stated, "Um. Yeah, I am."

Noel placed his hands up, looked at his friends and quickly stated, "It isn't mine."

A little confused by Noel's reaction, Aria said, "I'm aware of that, but thanks for stating the obvious."

"I know," he continued, again looking from side to side and raising his voice slightly, as if trying to ensure that any eavesdropping patrons knew he wasn't a daddy, "but we dated in high school for a while. I just, you know, don't want anyone to think that I did _this_." He waved his hand in front of Aria's belly to indicate which _this_ he was referring to.

Aria was growing increasingly irritated at Noel. What was his problem? "Ok, Noel. I think everyone in this coffee shop is now aware that you are not going to be a dad. You're safe." Shaking her head, Aria continued, "You know it's traditional to congratulate an expectant mother. Mention her glow or at least say something nice"

Noel looked almost sheepish at this point, "Right. Congratulations, Aria. You must be…excited. Um. I think I'm going to take off, but it was great seeing you."

With that, he was gone, and Aria decided that it was probably time to go. She'd had enough awkward glances from the other patrons for one morning. She grabbed the rest of her muffin and coffee and quickly made a beeline for her car.

* * *

Later the same day, as she and Spencer paid for their movie tickets for the afternoon showing at the Rosewood Theater, Aria ran into Ms. Welch.

After the opening pleasantries, Ms. Welch turned to Aria, stating, "You always seemed like such a good girl Aria. I had no idea you were promiscuous." Aria's mouth hung open in shock. Had her ex-teacher seriously just implied that she was a hussy?

Spencer, on the other hand, was not too shocked to speak. Spencer snapped, "Actually, she's not. She's in a loving and committed relationship. I know this is a concept that's hard for you to understand as you've clearly never had a long-term relationship with a man."

Ms. Welch responded exasperatedly, "Ms. Hastings!"

Spencer retorted, "You know, I take that back. You've clearly never had a relationship with a man. Period."

And with that, a flabbergasted Ms. Welch left, and Aria pulled Spencer in for a huge hug. Aria had never been so grateful for Spencer or her quick tongue.

* * *

After the movie, Aria decided a quiet night in was in order, so she and Spencer called the other girls, and then went to pick up Chinese take-out. Spencer volunteered to go into the restaurant to pick up the food, and Aria stayed in the safety of her car.

By the time, Spencer and Aria were safely inside Hanna's house for their night of gluttony and movies, Aria finally felt like she could relax. She grabbed a take-out container of chow mein and plopped herself down on the couch in front of the TV.

They picked a comedy that amazingly kept Aria pretty distracted. About half way through the film, however, Aria's phone rang. She slid the screen open to find two new text messages. The first said: Aria, I'm praying for you. The second said: You want to bone? Totally guilt free sex…I mean you are already pregnant, and I'm clean.

Aria was confused. The second text definitely could have been from one of Noel's friends, but who would be praying for her? Maybe Ms. Welch.

After five more similar texts, Aria was REALLY confused. What was going on?

Aria paused the film and looked to her friends, she stated, "Did you guys tell anyone that I'm pregnant?"

"No."

"No."

"Yes." Everyone turned to Hanna at this. "I had to tell Mona. She was over here when you and Spencer called, and she wouldn't leave. She just kept saying stuff about how I always pick you guys over her, so I told her that you, Aria, had a tough day and people weren't taking the news of your pregnancy well. She said that she'd keep it to herself and then she left. Why?"

"Well. I've just received seven questionable texts about my pregnancy from numbers I don't recognize, so obviously Mona didn't keep her word," Aria fumed.

"Mona wouldn't do that. I'm going to call her and get this sorted out."

After a few minutes, Hanna came back into the room. She looked at Aria, and quietly said, "I'm so sorry, Aria. I had no idea that she'd do this. Apparently she sent the news to everyone in her phone book, so I'm pretty sure our entire class knows now."

Aria looked at Hanna's sad face and her anger evaporated. She just felt sympathy (her maternal side had clearly already had started to kick in). "It's OK, Hanna. You didn't know." She walked over to Hanna and gave her a hug and rubbed her back soothingly.

After stepping back from the hug, Aria stated, "It's been a long day, though, so I'm just going to head home."

* * *

By the time Aria reached her house, she had received a few more texts and had decided that voluntary confinement in her room for the rest of vacation was probably her best option.

She opened the front door, locked it behind her and leaned her head against the door.

"Tough day?"

Recognizing the voice, she spun around to see Ezra. A feeling of safety and relief flooded over Aria. "You could say that."

He was sitting in the living room in an armchair. She walked over and snuggled in with him placing her head on his chest as he lightly placed his hand on her burgeoning belly.

"What happened?"

"Let's see. Noel Khan told an entire coffee shop that he wasn't the father, then I was called promiscuous, and later, I was propositioned by a number of my fellow classmates. Oh, plus, I'm pretty sure that there are now a bunch of Rosewood citizens who are trying to save me from eternal damnation," Aria stated matter-of-factly.

"Oh, Aria," Ezra said, kissing Aria on the temple. "I'm here now. We'll get through this together."

"It's OK. Seeing you certainly helps. I think I can forget everything that's happened if I take a hot bubble bath."

"Well, then, let's go."

"You are coming with me to the bathroom? What about my parents?" Aria said, raising her eyebrows.

"Your parents are already asleep, and I haven't spent nearly enough time with you or our baby yet today. Besides, I drove nearly all day, so I need a bath too. If you want to be alone, though, I can take a shower later."

Aria nearly shouted her response, "NO!" Ezra chucked, and Aria pulled Ezra up the stairs. Voluntary confinement in her room was starting to sound pretty darn good.


	8. Chapter 8

The next morning, Aria woke up to an empty bed and a note that read, "Gone for a run be back soon". Below this, Ezra had written, "Why you shouldn't stay in bed until the New Year and suggestions for making break better". It broke down into five parts:

1. You are not a leper, so there's no reason to hide.

2. There's nothing about your life to be ashamed of. You are in love, happy and having a baby with a man who loves you more than anything. You have what most people want.

3. Block all incoming calls from unknown numbers.

4. Avoid discussions about paternity, but if you are asked directly, there's no reason to lie. Remember there's nothing to be ashamed of.

5. Kiss your boyfriend as much as possible.

Aria couldn't help giggling at suggestion number 5. The point of the list was to keep her out of bed not make staying in bed more likely. Parts 1-4 and part 5 were certainly working at cross-purposes.

The decision to avoid discussion of paternity was a hard one to make, but Aria and Ezra had decided, while lying in bed the previous night, that for Aria's sake, it was best to keep this little piece of potential gossip to themselves. They'd let the people of Rosewood have a field day over that particular tidbit after the baby was born. If they really wanted, they had joked, they could just send Mona a birth announcement, and she'd take care of the rest.

* * *

Later that morning, after Ezra had returned from his jog, Aria decided, for her first outing of the day, she'd follow in Noel's footsteps. She headed off to the very same coffee shop as the day before with Ezra following a few minutes behind her.

Aria grabbed her decaf coffee and muffin, just as yesterday, and plopped herself at a table. As she began eating, Ezra came in, bought his own breakfast, and then made a show of looking for a table.

As he walked by Aria's table, he said in a slightly raised voice, "Well hello, Aria. How are you? May I join you?"

Aria suppressed a giggle. "Of course. I'm well. Thank you, Mr. Fitz."

Ezra smiled a little at this and, as he sat down, said, "Aria, please, call me Ezra."

They exchanged some more pleasantries just in case anyone was listening and then launched into an innocuous conversation about Yeats (They had taken to reading the baby poetry at night. They were currently on Yeats, and they'd already gone through Shakespeare's sonnets, Emerson, and some of the works of both Mr. and Mrs. Browning, among others). It was the kind of conversation that they always had, except this time, they were careful to remain on opposite sides of the table and refrain from touching.

Their conversation was only interrupted by the interjection of Mrs. Fields.

"Aria, Mr. Fitz, hello. What brings you two here?" Mrs. Fields stated, as she walked up to the table.

"Hi, Mrs. Fields. Just having breakfast. Mr. Fitz was nice enough to join me when he saw that I was eating alone. How are you?" Aria asked.

"I'm fine. I'm so happy that Emily is home. I've missed her so much. This morning, she told me that congratulations are in order for you."

Aria placed her hands lovingly on her stomach and gave Ezra a quick smile before answering, "Yep. That's right."

Mrs. Fields continued, "Oh, how exciting. So when's the wedding?"

Aria had just taken a sip of her coffee and in her shock, nearly spit it out on the table. Still a little taken aback, Aria decided that bluntness was her best option. "I'm not getting married," Aria began, before quickly adding, "At least not anytime soon."

"I see. I just assumed that you'd get married before the baby came. Emily said that you are still with the father, so it seemed like the logical next step."

Aria snuck another look at Ezra. From the expression on his face, it was obvious that he was struggling to hide his amusement at how this conversation was progressing. "I mean yes, I am, but I don't feel like there's any rush to get married."

"Oh. Dear," Mrs. Fields continued, "Of course there's a rush. You don't want your child to grow up with unmarried parents. You must think about what's best for the baby. Mr. Fitz, please help me."

Ezra started, uncertainly, "Um. Well, I'm sure that Aria and her boyfriend have thought about this and made the best decision for them. In this day and age, it's not mandatory to get married before having kids, and Aria's still so young. I'm sure they just want to make their marriage special- a commitment about love rather than obligation or about righting some perceived wrong. Do I have that right, Aria?"

Aria smiled at Ezra, "Yep. That's exactly it."

"Of course you have the right to make your own decision, Aria, but keep what I said in mind. There's no need to have a baby born out of wedlock." As if realizing that she'd done the best she could to convince Aria, Mrs. Fields completely abandoning the topic.

She continued, "I'm planning on making some pie this afternoon. You should stop by to visit Emily, and I'll give you the first slice. I remember when I was pregnant I couldn't get enough sweets. If Wayne hadn't stopped me, I probably would have put sugar in our mash potatoes."

Aria smiled at this, "Thanks, Mrs. Fields. I'll definitely stop by. Pie sounds delicious."

With that, Mrs. Fields left the coffee shop, and Aria just smiled at Ezra as she tried to contain the laughter that was threatening to escape. What was it with people in this town?

After pulling herself together, Aria restarted the previous conversation on Yeats. Aria and Ezra continued talking for a full hour. They moved on from Yeats to talk about literature more generally and various other authors. Luckily, no one else came by to disturb them. When she realized it was already noon, Aria decided that it was time to focus on part 5 of Ezra's note.

She loudly said, "Well, Ezra. It was so nice to run into you, but I should probably be heading home."

Ezra simply nodded, and noisily said, "Of course. Your parents are probably wondering where you went."

Aria responded, "Maybe, but I made a promise to my boyfriend that I'd do certain things today. I've done everything so far but I haven't spent enough time on the fifth thing, so I desperately need to fix that." Ezra smiled knowingly at Aria.

With that, Aria and Ezra walked out of the coffee shop together and headed for their separate cars.


	9. Chapter 9

The rest of break passed rather uneventfully. Aria got strange looks from people on the street and had a few awkward conversations, but none of these conversations were remotely as uncomfortable as the ones from the first three days of break. Otherwise, Aria hung out with her friends most days and spent nights at home with her family and Ezra.

Over these last two weeks of break, Aria gained a great deal of insight into how the people of Rosewood thought. She learned, that for the most part, people didn't really care who fathered her baby. After people discovered that the father was not a recent graduate of Rosewood Day and that he lived in Chicago with Aria, they dropped the subject entirely. Aria also learned that people weren't very observant. Ezra parked his car directly in front of the Montgomery house each night and went on jogs every morning in the streets around the house, but no one ever asked if he was staying there. Also, no one clued in to the fact that Aria was too far along in her pregnancy to have gotten pregnant at college. Essentially, people missed or ignored everything that linked Aria and Ezra together.

When it was finally time to leave, Aria decided to accompany Ezra on the long car ride rather than fly. The day after they returned to Chicago, Aria moved out of her dorm room and into the student apartment complex for families. Two days later, Ezra's stuff joined Aria's in their new apartment, and they were officially living together. It had seemed a little weird, at first, that Ezra wanted to move into the complex with her and give up his own apartment, but he had easily convinced her that the shorter her commute to class during her pregnancy the better. Plus, his apartment didn't have an elevator, which was bad enough normally but would make life impossible when they had a newborn.

* * *

The next few months of Aria's pregnancy passed quickly. Aria took extra classes during winter quarter to ensure that her spring quarter would have some flexibility. While Aria busied herself with her class work, Ezra prepared entire units of material in advance so come May, he wouldn't have to bring too much work home in the evenings.

One day in mid-March, right after Aria's finals, Aria and Ezra left their apartment to make all the big purchases for the baby—the crib, the changing table, etc. Aria was determined to help build the crib, but if they waited any longer to buy it, it would be physically impossible for her to do so. At seven and a half months pregnant, she was starting to develop a little bit of a waddle and was finding it more and more difficult to see her feet.

They easily picked out a crib and a changing table, but when they looked around for a rocking chair, they found it a bit more difficult. They'd already looked at multiple models, but none of them seemed quite right.

"Aria, what about this one?" Ezra asked.

Aria looked at the one Ezra indicated and saw that it was a boring taupe color, not something she wanted to sit in night after night. She shook her head. "It's a terrible color. What about this one?"

"We can't get that one, Aria."

"Why not? I think she'll like it."

"She?"

Aria hid her face in her hands for a few moments before looking up at Ezra. "Shit. I'm sorry. I couldn't wait to find out. We're having a girl."

Ezra's eyes started to gleam. "We're having a daughter?"

"Yeah."

Ezra smiled goofily, leaned in and gave Aria a fierce kiss before turning his attention back to the rocking chair. "In that case, I'm OK with a purple rocking chair, but let's not fill our daughter's room with anything that is pink or frilly. OK?"

Aria chuckled and quickly said, "Deal." Then, she pulled Ezra down for another kiss (standing on her tiptoes to meet his lips was no longer an option on the menu).

They made their purchases and headed back to the apartment. The back of Ezra's car was filled to capacity with the unassembled crib, changing table and the rocking chair.

Once Ezra carried all the purchases into the nursery, Aria and Ezra set about assembling the crib. Ezra held the crib sides in place as Aria screwed them together. After an hour and a bit of confusion over how to install the side of the crib that lowered to make it easier to place the baby in, the crib was done.

Once the crib was built, Ezra put together the changing table and started on the rocking chair while Aria filled the crib with bedding and hung a mobile from one corner of the crib.

With the crib finished, Aria took the opportunity to watch Ezra finish putting the final few screws in the sliding base of the rocking chair. Aria couldn't help but notice how hot he looked building the rocking chair. His hair was a mess; his forehead had the slight gleam of sweat; he was leaning forward exposing his well-toned back muscle through his shirt; and the muscles in his forearm were tensing and relaxing as he twisted the screwdriver. He looked YUMMY. Aria knew her extreme reaction had something to do with her raging hormones and probably was related to the fact that her man was building a piece of furniture for their daughter's room, but that wasn't going to stop her.

When Ezra placed the last screw and had finished testing the chair for safety, Aria grabbed his arm and started dragging him to their bedroom.

Ezra laughed. "Aria, I still have to put the cushion on the rocking chair."

"That's not important right now," Aria said, tugging Ezra's arm a little harder.

Ezra chuckled and responded, "Good!" He then started walking more quickly toward their room, so he was now the one lightly pulling Aria down the hallway.


	10. Chapter 10

By the end of April, Aria was 38 weeks pregnant and determined to put off labor until after her midterms. If she succeeded, she wouldn't have any other assignments until finals in mid-June, and with any luck, she would actually be able to study enough for said finals to pass her classes. The first step, however, was to complete the midterms.

Keeping Aria from delivering before her due date became a team effort. Aria went to class and then lay in bed writing her midterm essays for the rest of the day. Ezra did the grocery shopping, made dinner (he'd learned a thing or two over the years) and served Aria in bed. Essentially, Ezra's job was to ensure that Aria remained calm and limited her activity as much as possible.

By 39 weeks, when Aria finally turned in her last essay, the couple's goal changed immediately. Now, they had to get the baby out. Aria hadn't seen her feet in weeks, her back hurt and it was safe to say that she was getting very, very grouchy. Aria dragged Ezra on long walks around their neighborhood and ordered take-out items with names such as "fiery chicken" or "fair warning burrito".

Three days before her due date on May 7th, one of her methods finally paid off (or at least that's what she kept telling herself, as her mouth still hadn't fully recovered from the spices in that last burrito).

* * *

Aria woke up to Ezra crouching by the bed, shaking her gently as he said, "Aria, you have to wake up. It's time to go."

Aria was still semi-conscious, but as she came to, she quickly realized that her bottom half was very damp. Flinging the covers off of her, she looked down to see that the sheets around her body were soaked as was her huge pregnancy pillow.

Ezra removed the long pillow from Aria's grasp and as he helped her stand up, Aria noticed something. "What happened to your pants, Ezra?"

"You may have replaced me with a pillow, but I still want to snuggle. After you fell asleep, I snuck over to your side of the bed for a little spooning." Pointing to his moist PJ bottoms again, he continued, "I guess waking up covered in amniotic fluid is the price I pay."

Aria couldn't help smiling. Ezra leaned down for a kiss and asked, "So you ready?" Aria nodded and took a single calming breath.

In no time, the two soon-to-parents had changed, made the necessary phone calls to the doctor and were on the way to the hospital.

* * *

"Ezra, you can stop counting her toes. None of them have disappeared since five minutes ago."

Ezra blushed slightly, "I know. I know. She's just so tiny. I don't want anything to happen to her." At his statement, Ezra shifted the baby slightly in his arms and rubbed one of his thumbs gently over the baby's cheek.

Aria couldn't help smiling at how adorable Ezra was. They'd been parents for less than two hours, but he'd already mastered the overprotective parent act. "Come here," Aria said, as she shifted over in the bed to make room for Ezra to lie down beside her. As he did, he gently lay the sleeping infant in Aria's arms.

"Have you thought any more about the name?" Ezra asked. They'd been trying to decide on a name for over a month and nothing seemed quite right.

"I was thinking maybe Isabelle," Aria suggested.

"A girl named Isabelle teased me when I was in elementary school. It was traumatic, so no."

"She probably had a crush on you, you know."

"Well she had a funny way of showing it. She was absolutely terrifying."

Aria laughed. "What about Clara? Smirking a little, Aria continued, "Anyone by that name bully you?"

"Not that I can remember," Ezra responded, playfully. "I like it. What about Elizabeth?"

"Clara Elizabeth Fitz?"

"Has a nice ring to it."

Aria leaned down to give her daughter a light kiss, "What do you think? Are you a Clara?" When the baby didn't make a single move at this, Aria continued, "I guess she doesn't have a problem with it. It's settled."


	11. Chapter 11

After the delivery, Aria and Ezra received visits from Ella and Byron, the girls and Ezra's family. At the sight of her grandchild, Ella cried a little and gave Ezra a big hug. It was safe to say she was over the little freak out that she'd had at Christmas. Hanna came bearing three overflowing shopping bags filled with onesies and little dresses for her "fashion forward niece", and the rest of the visitors were instantly under Clara's spell.

The first week of Clara's life was peaceful. Ezra took the week off from work and Aria unofficially did the same with classes. They slept when Clara slept and adjusted to life as new parents.

At the end of the week, Ezra went back to work, and Aria stayed home. Luckily, some of her friends agreed to copy their lecture notes for Aria, so she wouldn't miss too much. Aria didn't get much of a chance to study these notes, though. She, after all, had more important things to learn like how to raise and properly care for her child. She was too busy and far too tired to study.

* * *

By the last week of May, with finals quickly approaching, Aria had to go back to her classes and began leaving Clara at the daycare center. It was a hard transition to make.

The first day, Ezra accompanied Aria to drop Clara off at daycare. He could sense Aria's discomfort at the idea so thought it best that he accompany her in case she had a meltdown (He, after all, already knew how hard it was to leave Clara in the morning and had already experienced the sense of guilt associated with placing a commitment above his responsibility as a parent).

Ezra was very right about how difficult it would for Aria to leave Clara. She couldn't even bring herself to walk into the daycare center. She just stood on the sidewalk staring at the front door. "Aria, you have to leave her. She'll be fine."

"No, Ezra. She won't be fine. She needs me. She needs me to feed her and change her. She needs me to rub her tummy to sooth her when she cries. She'll know I'm not here. She'll think I abandoned her." Aria tried to stifle her tears, but it was no use.

Ezra wrapped Aria in a gentle hug, careful not to crush Clara who was snuggled protectively in Aria's arms. He whispered in Aria's ear, "She's going to be fine. You wrote a tome with all the information the daycare could possibly need. You've left them with a dozen diapers, Clara's duck and enough milk to feed the entire daycare. You've done everything humanly possible to make Clara comfortable, and it's time."

Aria sniffled, "But…"

"But nothing, Aria. Leaving our child at daycare doesn't mean you aren't a wonderful mother. Our daughter will always know how much you love her, but you have to go to class, just like I have to go to work." Ezra paused to wipe the tears off Aria's cheeks and then continued softly, "If you want, I'll go in and drop her off. You can just give her to me, and I'll do the hard part." Aria's sobs came harder, but she obeyed Ezra and softly placed Clara in his arms.

Five minutes later, Ezra exited the daycare Clara-less with unshed tears welling up in his eyes. At the sight of Ezra's glistening eyes, Aria finally moved from her place on the sidewalk. Now, it was her turn to do the comforting.

* * *

As Aria attended class over the rest of the quarter, she got weird looks from the people around her in lecture as they caught the faint scent of spit up on her clothes or noticed the tiny little wet patches that developed on her shirt if she was forced to go without nursing or pumping for too long. Aria tried to ignore the looks, but it was difficult to completely ignore the judgments she knew were streaming through people's brains especially when she was still harshly judging herself for leaving Clara at daycare day after day.

By finals, Aria was a bit crazed. She had finally gotten used to leaving Clara at the daycare for a few hours at a time, but now, she was forced to leave Clara at the daycare center for most of the day while she worked endlessly to understand all the material she'd missed, write essays and take all of her exams. Once Clara came home, Aria barely saw her. Ezra picked Clara up from daycare in the evenings and would care for her throughout the night only interrupting Aria when Clara was hungry.

By the end of finals, Aria felt like she was the worst and most neglectful mother on the face of the planet, but thankfully with the start of summer, Aria was able to make up for all the missed moments with her daughter.

Aria and Ezra spent the rest of June with literally nothing on their calendars. They took walks with Clara, spent the afternoons reading and joyfully watched as Clara reached milestones.

On July 1st, however, Aria again was forced to leave her baby and her boyfriend for her first day of her summer internship. Although she had initially been adamantly opposed to the idea of going to work all day while Ezra stayed at home with Clara, she knew that she had to.

After all, Aria was still a college student who needed to build up her resume if she wanted to work as a teacher one day, so on that Monday, she trudged the five blocks to begin her first day as a teacher's assistant at the nearby middle school.


	12. Chapter 12

**Instead of doing my work, I decided to procrastinate a little, so I added a bit more to this story. I decided to make some changes to certain chapters and added an extra scene. **

* * *

By the end of her internship six weeks later, Aria and Ezra decided that visiting Ella and Byron was in order, and they would deal with the people of Rosewood directly. There would be no games this time.

Ella picked them up at the airport and cooed unabashedly at Clara, who was now in the habit of smiling and giggling at everyone she met. From the moment their plane landed to the moment they entered the Montgomery home, Aria held Ezra's hand, seeking comfort, as the pair prepared for the inevitable onslaught of unwelcome judgments from the Rosewood population.

Once unpacked, Aria just wanted to get the inevitable done with, so she and Ezra placed Clara in her stroller and made the relatively long walk to the town center to eat lunch at The Grill.

Throughout the walk, Ezra whispered words of encouragement to Aria. He told her that whatever happened today didn't matter. Their life, after all, was in Chicago now not in Rosewood. It didn't matter what anyone thought of them, and nothing about their life or family would change. Aria couldn't hear his logic.

After eating, as they prepared to leave, Aria spotted Mona, out of the corner of her eye, heading straight for the table.

"Here goes nothing," Aria mumbled to herself. At Aria's statement, Ezra looked around confusedly before he caught sight of Mona. He smiled reassuringly at Aria, but it didn't help. It was Mona after all. Aria knew what was coming.

"Hi, Mr. Fitz." Then turning to Aria, Mona continued, "Sweetie. How are you doing?" Mona said. Aria flinched at Mona's use of the word sweetie.

"I'm fine, Mona." Aria tried to keep her voice calm, but it felt like her world was about to crumble.

"So this is your little bambina, huh? She's pretty, Aria."

"Thanks, Mona. This is Clara."

"Hi Clara," Mona said as Clara began to giggle, "Aria, she likes me." Aria wanted desperately to tell Mona that Clara giggled at everyone and that Mona was nothing special, but she held her tongue. Normal Mona was dangerous enough; Aria didn't want to bring out Angry Mona.

Then, Mona turned her attention back to Mr. Fitz. "Mr. Fitz, what are you doing back in town?"

Aria looked at Ezra, uncertain of what he'd say. He stated, without any sign of hesitation or discomfort, "Aria and I are just back visiting for a week." Aria couldn't believe his directness. Why wasn't he freaking out too? Did he really believe what he'd said earlier? Did he really not care what the people of Rosewood thought of him?

"Wait a second. You two are dating now?" When Aria nodded, Mona continued, "That must be awkward. What does Clara's father think?"

Deciding that she might as well enjoy the last few seconds before her secret was exposed, Aria chuckled, before saying, "Ezra doesn't seem to mind."

Mona looked confused, "He must be very understanding. Did he at least ask for a paternity test?"

With a slight smirk on his face, Ezra chimed in, "Actually, Mona. My first name is Ezra."

Mona looked taken aback and then the look was replaced with a strange intensity as she attempted and, due to her extreme level of shock, apparently failed to come up with a barbed reply. As if defeated, Mona only said, "OH! I was unaware of that. I've got to get going. Bye." As Mona left, she pulled out her cell phone and indiscreetly began texting frantically.

As she realized their secret was out, Aria grabbed Ezra's hand across the table. "Well, I guess we don't have to wonder when everyone will find out. Mona's got it covered," Aria said.

Ezra smiled brightly, unperturbed by the recent turn of events, "We have nothing to be ashamed of, remember? Just block unknown numbers on your phone, and I think we'll be..."

Before Ezra had a chance to finish his statement, Aria's phone buzzed to indicate a new text message. She looked at the alert: a new text from an unknown number. It was starting, but with the arrival of that single text message, Aria came to a realization. It didn't matter what terrible message the text contained because what the people of Rosewood thought about her and her family didn't matter. This wasn't her home any more, and Ezra was right: they had nothing to be ashamed of. Without hesitation, Aria simply deleted the unread text and proceeded to block all unknown numbers. With the immense weight of her worry lifted, Aria smiled broadly at Ezra who returned the smile unreservedly.

After paying, Aria and Ezra left the restaurant with baby Clara and meandered back to the Montgomery's, stopping occasionally for a little well-deserved PDA. It didn't matter who saw them. Everyone would soon be aware of their relationship, if they weren't already, so Aria and Ezra were going to enjoy the freedom.

* * *

EPILOGUE:

"Aria, don't forget we have that party tonight."

"Faculty party, right. I hate these things. Last time, Harry got drunk and became super handsy," Aria replied, making a pained face.

"Well, if he gets drunk again tonight, I'll glue myself to your side and give him my best "I'm her husband, dammit. Keep your paws off" look. Will that help?"

"Sounds like a plan." Aria stood up on her tiptoes to give Ezra a light kiss, but it quickly escalated. She wrapped her hands around his neck, and he backed her into the kitchen counter and placed her on top of it.

"Come on, guys. I just ate breakfast. Please don't make me vomit," Clara yelled from across the kitchen.

"There's no need to be so dramatic, baby," Aria said, as she gave Ezra one last kiss and dismounted the counter, "Are you all ready to go, Clara?"

"Yep."

"Ok, I'll just grab Riley, and we'll be off. Clara, remember Mrs. Johnson will pick you up from school today and stay with you this evening. Your Dad and I have to go to a faculty party at work."

"Mom," Clara complained, "I don't need a sitter. I can take care of myself."

"Not going to happen until your thirteen."

"Mom," Clara whined.

Ezra chimed it, "You know the rule. You have two more months, Claire-bear. Besides, do you really want to be in charge of Riley for a whole night? Go grab your backpack, and we'll go."

With that, Clara left the kitchen and Aria left Ezra to put the finishing touches on their children's lunches as she went into the living room to collect their young son, who was happily watching a rerun of Sesame Street.

Five minutes later, the Fitzes left their house. They made their way first to the kindergarten to drop Riley off, then to the middle school for Clara, before making the final stop at the high school where both Aria and Ezra worked.

Once parked, Aria and Ezra walked into the high school with their hands linked together, just as they did every morning.


End file.
